World Space Week Begins Today!

Here is how the global celebration of World Space Week (WSW) got its start -- it was initiated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999 with the purpose of celebrating every Oct. 4-10 "the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition."

The WSW dates were chosen to commemorate the launch of Sputnik 1, on Oct. 4, 1957, and the signing of the Outer Space Treaty on Oct. 10, 1967. The theme of World Space Week 2013 is "Exploring Mars, Discovering Earth."

The Space Foundation has a full schedule of activities planned for Oct. 4-10, culminating with the one-year anniversary celebration of its Discovery Center, located at Space Foundation World Headquarters in Colorado Springs. The Discovery Center is the region's only space, science and technology attraction and houses the El Pomar Space Gallery and Northrop Grumman Science Center featuring Science On a Sphere®.

The Space Foundation launched its World Space Week activities by bringing its special advisor - human spaceflight, Leroy Chiao, Ph.D., to Colorado Springs from Houston for a series of Audience With an Astronaut sessions. Dr. Chiao is speaking to students in person at local schools and also remotely from Space Foundation World Headquarters, using Google Hangouts for presentations for the students of two of its Teacher Liaisons.